My favorite part of this video was Gloomhaven showing up. Man, I had really good laugh with how that one went :) Also, maybe it was intentional, but your video link parts says BSieged is last game, and in video you talk about Massive darkness.
1:25 As a fellow parent, I can tell you it is worth it to play any kind of games with your kids that they want to play. With my kids I have sat through hours of Candy Land and Chutes & Ladders but it was worth it to introduce to them Ticket to Ride First Journey and Catan Jr. After that came gateway games like Forbidden Island and Tsuro. Now my 14 year old daughter is a regular at our gaming group and occasionally even wins against me (side note, I never let my kids win, they have to earn it) and my 10 year old son is playing through his first campaign game with us (Massive Darkness). I know that's not really what this video is about but I just wanted to encourage all parents to get their kids into the hobby!
Hi Alex! You produce solid and helpful videos. Regarding “Downforce”, I learned about a “tweak” to help prevent the “ganging up” to help one vehicle. During the three betting phases each player may only bet on one vehicle once ( i.e. each player must bet on three different vehicles during the course of the race similar to a win, place, show of a horse race-first, second, third-and award accordingly to the bets placed at the end of the race.). This should help prevent the play of the movement cards of all players from concentrating on just one vehicle. I look forward to playing the game this way.
I recommend checking out Neom as a 7 Wonders replacement. Its's still simple enough to play as a gateway game, but more complex than 7 Wonders in ways that make it have much better replayability for me.
Love the topic and your thoughtfulness, as always! I took a hard look at my collection for one that BGG doesn't love but I do: Favor of the Pharaoh. We played this with 3-4 players and found ourselves rooting for each other during the final rounds. Definitely hanging on to it.
My family and friends play horrified all the time, The only thing that kills the game is not making an expansion pack. We want more monsters and heroes and scenario cards
Android. In my heart I know it is a mediocre game at best, but I simply get too much enjoyment from the world lore that the game explores to ever get rid of it.
I have Gloom. I love the multi-layer card part of the game, but I am not nearly creative enough to do the story telling part that really brings the game to life. Also it suffers the Munchkin problem where you pile on whoever is in front leading to the game lasting forever as nobody is in the position to end the game on their turn. But I do still keep it, it is a small box, maybe 2 decks of cards, which is tucked in nicely in its spot. I think it is actually the smallest box of a game that I own and definitely the least wasted space as there is none, it is tiny even compared to much smaller games like Love Letter.
Our taste in boardgames are very aligned especially when it comes to the "dudes on a map" genre except for the Rising sun vs Blood rage aspect haha :D My personal opinion ( and my playgroups ) all feel like Rising sun is the superior game compared to Blood rage. Although both great games :D
Yeah, three hour time windows to play solo are rare. Now imagine how things are going with Tainted Grail which I don't start if I haven't at least a four hour time window... 🤦
@@rudigerkipferl4479 I have actually never played a legacy game before. Rise of Fenris for a bit with scythe...but not sure that's truly a legacy game.
Literally just this weekend sold on my copy of 7 Wonders; one of my earliest purchased games, its probably only seen the table 3 times and simply doesn't see the action it deserves.
Having learned games on BGA during Covid and then buying some of them to play with my kids, I am forced to often consider that avoiding the set-up/tear down makes leaving the games on BGA a better choice. :-? Kingdom Builder is one of them and I just got the bog box for Xmas!
Currently I am keeping Tapestry. I am still enjoying it, and I know this will cause heads to explode, but I like it better than Scythe. I am also keeping Risk 2210, LOTR Risk and original Trilogy Star Wars Risk. All 4 will eventually leave, but keeping them for now.
I don’t know if I agree with what seems a trend here in equating simplicity with worst. Sometimes designing something to be simpler is actually better. Horrified is better for its simplicity of core mechanics married with the diversity of monsters. It you try to add complexity and novelty in every area it can become a difficult and noisy experience. Likewise Marvel United may also be simple but there is a lot of clever design even in the base game which manages to build a satisfying cooperative and thematic experience from very approachable mechanics.
I found you through Qaukalope. Your approach to gameplay and game critique are so different to Jesse (and crew) but relevant that it creates a nice space for broader analysys of why games are strong or weak, good or bad, kept or loosed. Thank you and well done!
Agreed on 7 Wonders. NO ONE in our 12+ person game group ever asks to play it. Only reason I hold on to it is because I foolishly purchased all the expansions and think one day interest will resume and we'll play the base game to re-familiarize ourselves, then add the expansions and BOOM gaming nirvana. Not going to happen. The Garfield drafting games always garner more interest, deservedly.
Have you tried Rallyman: GT yet? I passed on DIRT but have since seen GT rated highly on several people's lists, so I looked into GT again. After watching the people who know how to play the game and a how to play, I started playing solo on Boardgamearena. It's surprisingly addictive for a beat your own time. What's really exciting is when you compare your times to others in the community or when you participate in the monthly time challenges. Looking back into DIRT I got really excited for what it offers, gear cards measure your time, the SISU tokens, shunting, redlining rules, drifting to stay in higher gears, jumps, shortcuts, water. So excited! Plus using the solo variants allows you to race against multiple NPC's which is really cool. I went all-in, looked at the retail options but it ended up being a $10 difference and decided the Kickstarter was easier.
I have an older version of Downforce called Daytona 500. It has the same card movement but without the driver powers and the betting in Downforce. I like the driver powers but I don’t like the betting part. It really annoys me to bet against my own team...that just feels so unthematic (as it would be unethical and illegal to do so)! Thanks for another interesting video.
It's funny, I have the complete opposite with Coup and Sheriff of Nottingham. Coup will forever stay in my collection and I've been wondering whether to keep Sheriff for years, and yet it's still there. On Ra, I agree. That's why I've exchanged it with the new Ediciones Primigenio edition of Razzia!, which is almost the same game with cards instead of tiles and in a way smaller box.
"I don't have the DRIVE to pull it out." Accidentally an appropriate line. Also, Coup is wonderful, but we didn't like the expansion. Your Reformation box is huge! Maybe it's an earlier edition than mine?
@@BoardGameCo Good question. I got into gaming as a little girl from my uncle and father who played wargames. So putting aside wargames, miniature war games, roleplaying games and the games I have for my nieces my library is probably 150 +. Given some games date back to the late 70s.
I am on the hunt for Kingdom Builder Harvest and Marshlands for quite some time now. The core game plus the first two expansions are in my collection for probably 6-7 years now but most of my friends don't like it because of the simplicity and the luck factor with the region cards. Was on the brink to sell it, until I introduced my girlfriend to boardgaming. My girlfriend is lukewarm with most strategy games and Kingdom Builder has exactly the right amount of strategy for her to not fall into paralysis or feeling bad for falling behind. She loves it. So much, that I am considering to sell my copy and rebuy the big box to finally get the two missing big box expansions.
I so agree on 7 Wonders...I love it, but my family probably played it literally hundreds of times. We'd get on a 5s pick-and-play system, so we'd zip through multiple games each night, and we'd do that all winter long :) And now, we have games like Sushi Go, Ecosystem, etc that are a similar mechanic, look cool, and play in even less time and have much less setup time. And boy I'm tempted to get the sharp-looking new 7 Wonders, but I know my family and I probably won't play it. We haven't touched our original 7 Wonders in too long now, haha
Kingdom Builder is currently on my "teetering" list. Another that I got early on and genuinely enjoy playing but it simply doesn't get enough table time to justify the shelf space. Like yourself, I have everything for it and even took the time to craft a custom insert to better organise, simplify getting the massive amount of variability to the table... and yet... its just not hitting the spot; which i find sad.
Downforce - there for theme only Marvel United - by far the worst Fireball island - it’s a toy set Mice and mystics - so many mid game rules, such a a cute story Game of thrones Catan - if you have to play Catan Aftermath - I like mice okay? Tiny epic mechs - it takes no space and now I have a ton of promos Crypt - Covid donation game Chrhulu wars - big meh, but it’s the version I have One night ultimate vampire - did I need this version?
Raiders of the North Sea. Keeping it mainly because it was a gift, but man that game is so anticlimactic. 4 turns preparing, and then the big pay off?!?!?! I'm raiding!!!! Fart, the next players turn. That was the raid, let's do 4 turns preparing. Dominion... boring. 1 strat. get silver and gold asap and try to get the expensive provinces. no alternative strategies. Why am I keeping it? It was a gift. ;)
Only own a few of these, but I love the premise of the list! There are so many reasons to keep games, and there really are games on my shelf I’m unsure if I can cull! Kingdom Builder is one I have always enjoyed, and I think we have owned it, but I’m unsure if we still own it 😂 Didn’t really like Downforce! The Game is another I enjoy! Looking forward to play it soon again!
Hey Alex, thanks for the great content! I was wondering if a top 10 list of games with traitor mechanic is something that you would enjoy to do. For sure I would enjoy to watch it.
Mine would probably be Mysterium. I really enjoy it but our group was pretty meh on it after our first play. So now I'll just hold onto it. One day people will enjoy playing it with me! One day.
I see the appeal of auction in Ra being press your luck meeting auction. As a filler+ game, because of what it does, I believe TEN can be an alternative to Ra in terms of being an auction game with other fun elements. Sushi Go is also Ra with hand drafting. I see Modern Art as a more pure drafting experience. Based in what you said in the video, there are reasons why I am hesitant to pick up Ra again.
Controversial opinion: If I've got 4 players for an area control game, I'll pick Rising Sun over Blood Rage. Sure, Blood Rage is shorter, but the rage mechanic feels a lot like a"win more" mechanic where if you get a lead in rage early, then you're in a better position to win more fights in later rounds, and hence get more rage and other clan stats and hence win the game. You can get to the end of the second age and often go "yeah, the game is already over" or "player x is coming last". In Rising Sun, unless someone gets an enormous lead, the person in last place before the final War Phase can end up coming away with the win (and has done so a number of times in my group).
Did you check out Mage Knight Ultimate edition? I find with that insert it to be maybe fastest solo game I own to field at put away (others include Xia, Eldritch Horror, Root, Vast: Mysterious Manor, Cry Havoc, sold Scythe).
Would love to hear what you feel is better than Rising Sun in their respective field? Kemet? Games I keep despite they are not a good fit for me are Kingdom Builder as well and Hanabi (both because my gf tends to enjoy them)
1. Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar- I've got a couple of boys who really like the spectacle of this game (who am I kidding, I do to). But thats it, its a spectacle game; it looks cool and does something cool but the game really isn't there and there is a lot of pre/mid/post game maintenance involved. It's work to get out and set up. I'm not having the fun I should with it so I'll probably part with it this year. 2. 7 Wonders Duel (here me out)- the app has killed it for me. In fact there a few games I have gotten rid of purely b/c the app killed it. I don't have the patience for the board game when the app is good in the right ways. 3. TIME Stories: I am literally waiting to play through 2 more scenarios and then its gone.
Downforce is a family favorite. It was hard to hear you to say that maybe it shouldn't have been remade. Ouch. But to each his own. I do think it plays best at the higher player counts. The extra tracks with the expansions definitely help give it more life.
My best worst game would be Xia: Legends of a Drift System. The system is something designed out of a teenager’s basement in the 80s. But I love it so much for its truly sandbox play and emergent world building and story telling.
I also haven’t taken Coup off the shelf in a couple years, because I feel requires a higher play count for optimized enjoyment. I still own Horrified and love the theme. Agree with what you say though. Kingdom Builder base I picked up on Amazon for like $20 and played once. I thought it was alright but didn’t have too much going on in it.
Love 7 Wonders, do you have/have you tried any of the expansions? I find those definitely make the game even better. I really enjoy Armada and Leaders, however Armada makes this table hog even worse- haha. Hope all is well, thanks for your great work especially your showcase of your careful analysis last week with the Dice Tower's Top 100.
Absolutely agree with you about Downforce and Horrified. I only have them for my kids, and even they are getting wise to the problems in the game. My oldest, 11, won’t play Downforce for the very reason you mentioned. To me this is the case of production quality exceeding game quality, it only goes so far.
Hear you for Downforce. You just have so little chance to win if you're not on Pole. Usually it's clear who is going to win and everyone is motivated to get that person to the finish first because they've bet on them. Just very limited long-term fun factor. Don't so much agree for Kingdom Builder though, it's one I'd like to play more than I get to. In my case there's just so many new games to be tried out that I'm never able to get back to it.
I am also on the fence about Marvel United, but I hold on to it because I think it's a good gateway game for some of my family who don't like playing mid-level or higher board games. Currently, I'm on the fence about Die in the Dungeon and Sanctum because they're very easy up until the boss. I like varying level of challenge throughout the game.
Will Massive Darkness 2 add real-gameplay variability with cool elements like pushing enemies into other spaces or blowing up a bunch of minions? With all my research I haven't seen anything besides some variation in the heroes before they all end up doing the same thing of rolling dice (and modifying those dice) I'm happy to be wrong, just haven't seen it.
Wow, I was certain that your second CMON game on this list was going to be Zombicide: Invader. I think you've said you have all of Zombicide and might get rid of some part of them, especially because Zombicide 2 is coming. I like Black Plague/Green Horde better than Invader, and I feel like I hear that sentiment echoed a lot. I don't see many people favoring Invader over BP/GH. So...I thought it would be Invader.
Intriguing topic! For sure a crowd puller... But very well build statements that back your possible decisions. But i'll be honest, I wouldn't sleep less if you'd ditch them ;-)
Coup continues to be a great entry game, but G54 ramps it up to expert-level. One of my few 9/10s. Every random set-up brings the players back to the same feel we had when we first played the original. When to bluff? Which powers work best early-, mid-, and late-game? Really great, but you MUST have 5 or more good Coup players to enjoy it.
I often wonder about this topic. Which games get exponentially better with a regular, consistent group of dedicated players? I can say that is also the case with hanabi. The first few times I played it, it was a 6. Then I got sick and started playing it online with obsessive fans of the game and learning it's depth brought it up to one of the very few perfect 10s I've ever played. How many other near perfect games am I missing out on because I just haven't played them hard enough?
Huh, this is a tough one. I have a bunch of games that fall into your categories at the beginning. For my actual picks, I think maybe Sheriff of Nottingham, for kind of the exact opposite that you said Coup. Or... not the opposite, but the exact same reason, except I feel like Coup is the reason I'm giving Sheriff the side eye. I have enjoyed both games the many times I've played them, but for this type of thing, I feel like Coup offers the right amount of time commitment (in a delightfully small box). And it feels just a little deeper to me. That being said, it's been a while since I've played either. (But some of that has to do with the year this has been). I feel a little more comfortable introducing Sheriff to new gamers, which is why I have kept it around, but I feel like most people could handle Coup. Otherwise, according to my rankings on BGG, my lowest rated games that have no threat of being purged are probably: - One Night Ultimate Werewolf: This is a game that I'm bordering on having overplayed. But that's because there are situations where it's the PERFECT game. Those situations aren't my preferred style of game night, but when they happen, One Night is there to save the day. And while I'm never excited to bust it out, I've never actually had a bad time with it. I may slowly start to get rid of games of this style just because I don't feel the need to have a bunch of them, but this will be the lone survivor (pending something amazing showing up to take its place). - DC Comics: The Deckbuilding Game: This is the other one that immediately comes to mind. This game is paper thin and I don't have any expansions for it, nor do I have any intentions of getting any. And I'm not even that much of a DC fan. But there's something comfort-food-y about this super simple deck builder with these super iconic characters (all the big mainstream heavy hitters are in the core box). Every once in a while, I think "at some point, I'll probably just stop pulling this game out" but that has yet to happen. And I'm always pretty happy when I do. 2 second teach. 30 minute game. It has the typical deck builder game arch. And it's good in it's lane.
I love horrified. Its easy to teach to new players. It fast and fun co OP game. I wouldnt pull it out for people who want to play a complex game. But if you want something light, that's the game to play. I dont like gloomhaven but it's in my collection because it's number one on board game geek. I wish I can get rid of it but I won't. It takes forever to set up. The ai rules are impossible to get right. The enemies are always way to tough. And flipping a card to see how much damage to an enemy that will block or heal next round isnt fun to me. I also have Arkham horror 2nd edition. I just need to get rid of it. Eldritch horror is better and I'm in love with Arkham horror 3rd edition. I don't care what people say about 3rd edition. It feels like a great blend of 2nd edition and the LCG
I love son/daughter but you are just not good enough. "What did I do wrong papa?" Nothing, it just this something that I can't really be sure I like or don't like. "OK. papa I will go and cry in my room and develop a life long insecurity"
I own and love about half of these haha. But there are definitely flaws in them for sure. The game, Horrified, downforce, and kingdom builder are all faves. Coup I have but haven't played in years it's been almost culled a few times. I have Marvel United and thought it was fine but it's on the cull pile ( I didn't back it). Id never play it over Marvel Champions and my daughter is too young for me to keep it for her sake
Downforce + house rules (i.e., no betting) is great to play with kids. The components work wonderfully. After playing several times, the tracks have tire marks on them 😁. That being said, I do not recommend the expansions.
I agree with just about everything on here except The Game. With the right group, this is hilarious and fun. It's a great filters game that I would gladly replace is I lost it. Plus, its a small box and really cheap.
Mine (Top being least likely to play): Star Wars Rebellion Wingspan Papillion Martians!! Tiny Epic Dinosaurs Tiny Epic Tactics Isle of Cats Dwellings of Eldervale
Hi Alex. Tom gave a review on zombie teenz, and i am wondering if i would find myself in the same spot. This weejend we played again to zombie kidz. But if teenz is a little bit of the same, and having my kids a little outgrown the first game (even though we do play it from time to time), shouldn't i get something like charterstone or other legacy games a little more evolved... What do you think?
Suprised to see not 2 but three cmon games in that list. Though I know you'll keep marvel. I have been trying to get rising sun on the 2nd hand market for ages at a decent price. Out of interest what game of its genre did you prefer to it ?
Nice! I am interested as well with rising sun, but I don't think I have time to play all the board games I already own. I stopped searching for it since it's expensive and I know I would probably play it couple of times only.
Definitely Catan, I used to play it A LOT (like all of you I guess) but now for me is super boring, I just keep it because is the only game I can actually play with my whole family
I've ranted about my own frustrations with Massive Darkness before, and I would for sure be the worst game I own if I didn't just consider it expansion content for MD2 when it arrives, lol. Generally I don't keep any games I would rate below a 7 in terms of my own enjoyment unless they fulfill a specific role in my collection of those games the lowest two are Small World and King of New York. I have Small World ar about a 6.5 and to me it is a more enjoyable, but still accessible Risk that a like to play with my family members who enjoy games like that (as I don't much care for vanilla Risk). King of New York is another game I save for family members as a light, time-killin, dice chucker and as an easy-to-follow entry game for whenever my gaming group brings someone unfamiliar with tabletop gaming. Generally though these games don't come out very often, particularly thanks to, the Covid era, though sometimes my core group does enjoy a couple games of Small World once in a while. I currently have these games at a 6.5 and 6 (maybe it should be a 5.5 though) on BGG respectively, so not so bad in terms of my personal enjoyment, but definitely the lowest of my modest collection of around 30 games.
I think there are many, many, MANY Mage Knights sitting on a shelf. Mine has been for at least a year. Can't decide to sell it though, since it's a rarity in third world countries like mine. Oh well... at least it looks nice!
went all in for Massive Darkness, played it once and sold it right away - this was back when we were playing Descent 2nd ed and this was no fun for us. Enough so that I didn't back the new MD ks.
I love Coup. It is in my top 10. But I have no interest in the expansions or promos, which makes the game worse to me. Glad to see it is still making the cut.
3 года назад+1
Hey hey hey, your chapter's name is not good for Massive Darkness :) Did you plan to talk about B-Sieged and change your mind at the last minute?
Interesting positive spin on a click-baiting rage-assuming video title ! :) Among mines, - Saint Seiya Deckbuilding and Thunderstone I keep, the latter because it's the grandfather of deckbuilding games (Dominion being the grandma) and also a present, the former because the cards look so nice (for fans of the manga) and are top quality, although the game is too simple but takes ages to finish. - Myrmes, a very dated look from the plastic ants to the boards or cubes, nothing fascinating and tedious to teach, yet it's quite original. Maybe one day I will have the will to put it on the table and try again. a few remarks: ...Downforce or the game where the one dude blocking you all in the first turn after start you will hate all game long and still you will bet on every time just to score points... Obviously he'll win, too. Fool me once, fool me twice, play without me the third time ! XD Marvel United's main plus is how cheap it is given the material, it's also totally playable with kids as an intro to coop boss fighting games. But only 3 bosses then a bit repetitive ; let's see if the Gauntlet or the Sinister Six make it spicier.
Lol when İ see Jaws of the lions i though "alex's bomb"... Anyway played marvel united and surprising that is still in your collection, i really like the first match but after the third one I see no potential on long periods and a bit too easy or maybe i was just lucky
Most of these games are 2-2.5 in weight, I own none of them, and I wouldn't even consider them for our collection. :) We are well past gateway level games, and it would be very hard to justify a lighter game now. Despise mediocrity.
My favorite part of this video was Gloomhaven showing up. Man, I had really good laugh with how that one went :)
Also, maybe it was intentional, but your video link parts says BSieged is last game, and in video you talk about Massive darkness.
Lol thanks :) I'll have to take a look at bsieged, not sure what's happening there.
1:25 As a fellow parent, I can tell you it is worth it to play any kind of games with your kids that they want to play. With my kids I have sat through hours of Candy Land and Chutes & Ladders but it was worth it to introduce to them Ticket to Ride First Journey and Catan Jr. After that came gateway games like Forbidden Island and Tsuro. Now my 14 year old daughter is a regular at our gaming group and occasionally even wins against me (side note, I never let my kids win, they have to earn it) and my 10 year old son is playing through his first campaign game with us (Massive Darkness).
I know that's not really what this video is about but I just wanted to encourage all parents to get their kids into the hobby!
Mage Knight is sitting around waiting for my daughters to actually go to bed at a reasonable time 😂
Hehe, same here! But I've managed to "force" myself and play it on Friday evenings, 2-3h.
@@ionelpacurariu4819 I got it out! I'm going to start it today! Promised myself!
Mage Knight is probably the only game in my collection I’ll never get rid of- just so good when I get it to the table!
Yes!
I really like Downforce for a family game. It does the job.
I found Rallyman GT to be the better racing game, but Downforce is better than Formula D.
Downforce is a good betting game, but I don’t feel it scratches the racing game itch.
My wife's family who do not play games at all love downforce. It's a great family game, I agree
Hi Alex! You produce solid and helpful videos. Regarding “Downforce”, I learned about a “tweak” to help prevent the “ganging up” to help one vehicle. During the three betting phases each player may only bet on one vehicle once ( i.e. each player must bet on three different vehicles during the course of the race similar to a win, place, show of a horse race-first, second, third-and award accordingly to the bets placed at the end of the race.). This should help prevent the play of the movement cards of all players from concentrating on just one vehicle. I look forward to playing the game this way.
Intriguing....that does sound of a good idea :)
I recommend checking out Neom as a 7 Wonders replacement. Its's still simple enough to play as a gateway game, but more complex than 7 Wonders in ways that make it have much better replayability for me.
Ooooh, I have it, need to play it though :)
@@BoardGameCo another one which is comparable is key flow, what do u think of that one?
Neom is one we didn’t end up picking up in Essen the year it came out. Heard great things about it, so I still want to play it sometime!
Btw...if you don’t want RA anymore, we have a hole in our collection that is RA shaped! 🥳
Let me know your address.... :)
Love the topic and your thoughtfulness, as always! I took a hard look at my collection for one that BGG doesn't love but I do: Favor of the Pharaoh. We played this with 3-4 players and found ourselves rooting for each other during the final rounds. Definitely hanging on to it.
My family and friends play horrified all the time, The only thing that kills the game is not making an expansion pack. We want more monsters and heroes and scenario cards
They now have the new horrified American monsters one
Lolz. Puns. Re downforce... "I don't have the drive to pull it out..."
Accidental :)
Android. In my heart I know it is a mediocre game at best, but I simply get too much enjoyment from the world lore that the game explores to ever get rid of it.
Oh man, never played that one.
I have Gloom. I love the multi-layer card part of the game, but I am not nearly creative enough to do the story telling part that really brings the game to life. Also it suffers the Munchkin problem where you pile on whoever is in front leading to the game lasting forever as nobody is in the position to end the game on their turn. But I do still keep it, it is a small box, maybe 2 decks of cards, which is tucked in nicely in its spot. I think it is actually the smallest box of a game that I own and definitely the least wasted space as there is none, it is tiny even compared to much smaller games like Love Letter.
I've always been intrigued, never gotten it.
Our taste in boardgames are very aligned especially when it comes to the "dudes on a map" genre except for the Rising sun vs Blood rage aspect haha :D My personal opinion ( and my playgroups ) all feel like Rising sun is the superior game compared to Blood rage. Although both great games :D
I really need to play Rising Sun more....
Yeah, three hour time windows to play solo are rare. Now imagine how things are going with Tainted Grail which I don't start if I haven't at least a four hour time window... 🤦
Yeah I primarily play solo, and it's very difficult to get 2-3 hours to pull a bigger game out.
@@petergross7235 managed to play Pandemic Legacy 1&2 solo those last months. It's quick to setup and a session doesn't take that long.
@@rudigerkipferl4479 I have actually never played a legacy game before. Rise of Fenris for a bit with scythe...but not sure that's truly a legacy game.
Literally just this weekend sold on my copy of 7 Wonders; one of my earliest purchased games, its probably only seen the table 3 times and simply doesn't see the action it deserves.
Having learned games on BGA during Covid and then buying some of them to play with my kids, I am forced to often consider that avoiding the set-up/tear down makes leaving the games on BGA a better choice. :-? Kingdom Builder is one of them and I just got the bog box for Xmas!
Oh man you can't tear me away from the tactile experience :)
Currently I am keeping Tapestry. I am still enjoying it, and I know this will cause heads to explode, but I like it better than Scythe. I am also keeping Risk 2210, LOTR Risk and original Trilogy Star Wars Risk. All 4 will eventually leave, but keeping them for now.
Better than scythe is indeed a statement :)
Great vid and great list! I think we all can relate. :)
From my collection, I'll pick something new and something old: Tang Garden and Talisman.
Thanks!
I don’t know if I agree with what seems a trend here in equating simplicity with worst. Sometimes designing something to be simpler is actually better. Horrified is better for its simplicity of core mechanics married with the diversity of monsters. It you try to add complexity and novelty in every area it can become a difficult and noisy experience.
Likewise Marvel United may also be simple but there is a lot of clever design even in the base game which manages to build a satisfying cooperative and thematic experience from very approachable mechanics.
I found you through Qaukalope. Your approach to gameplay and game critique are so different to Jesse (and crew) but relevant that it creates a nice space for broader analysys of why games are strong or weak, good or bad, kept or loosed. Thank you and well done!
I found Quackalope through BGC! I miss their crossover episodes
Agreed on 7 Wonders. NO ONE in our 12+ person game group ever asks to play it. Only reason I hold on to it is because I foolishly purchased all the expansions and think one day interest will resume and we'll play the base game to re-familiarize ourselves, then add the expansions and BOOM gaming nirvana. Not going to happen. The Garfield drafting games always garner more interest, deservedly.
We still enjoy it :) But it doesn't hit the table as often anymore :)
I respect your opinion on Kingdom Builder....I think it's still in my top 5 though. It grew on me after I got past the fact that it wasn't Dominion.
Rahdo felt the same about Kingdom Builder and ultimately sold it...
Have you tried Rallyman: GT yet?
I passed on DIRT but have since seen GT rated highly on several people's lists, so I looked into GT again. After watching the people who know how to play the game and a how to play, I started playing solo on Boardgamearena. It's surprisingly addictive for a beat your own time. What's really exciting is when you compare your times to others in the community or when you participate in the monthly time challenges.
Looking back into DIRT I got really excited for what it offers, gear cards measure your time, the SISU tokens, shunting,
redlining rules, drifting to stay in higher gears, jumps, shortcuts, water. So excited!
Plus using the solo variants allows you to race against multiple NPC's which is really cool.
I went all-in, looked at the retail options but it ended up being a $10 difference and decided the Kickstarter was easier.
I have an older version of Downforce called Daytona 500. It has the same card movement but without the driver powers and the betting in Downforce. I like the driver powers but I don’t like the betting part. It really annoys me to bet against my own team...that just feels so unthematic (as it would be unethical and illegal to do so)! Thanks for another interesting video.
Never played that one, I might have to check that out.
It's funny, I have the complete opposite with Coup and Sheriff of Nottingham. Coup will forever stay in my collection and I've been wondering whether to keep Sheriff for years, and yet it's still there. On Ra, I agree. That's why I've exchanged it with the new Ediciones Primigenio edition of Razzia!, which is almost the same game with cards instead of tiles and in a way smaller box.
Color me intrigued...
"I don't have the DRIVE to pull it out." Accidentally an appropriate line. Also, Coup is wonderful, but we didn't like the expansion. Your Reformation box is huge! Maybe it's an earlier edition than mine?
I don't think I can ever get rid of a game in my collection. I collect what I like so I can never conceive of getting rid of one. I guess that is me.
How many are you at so far?
@@BoardGameCo Good question. I got into gaming as a little girl from my uncle and father who played wargames. So putting aside wargames, miniature war games, roleplaying games and the games I have for my nieces my library is probably 150 +. Given some games date back to the late 70s.
I am on the hunt for Kingdom Builder Harvest and Marshlands for quite some time now. The core game plus the first two expansions are in my collection for probably 6-7 years now but most of my friends don't like it because of the simplicity and the luck factor with the region cards. Was on the brink to sell it, until I introduced my girlfriend to boardgaming. My girlfriend is lukewarm with most strategy games and Kingdom Builder has exactly the right amount of strategy for her to not fall into paralysis or feeling bad for falling behind. She loves it. So much, that I am considering to sell my copy and rebuy the big box to finally get the two missing big box expansions.
Appreciate the effort of putting timelines on all of your videos ❤️
I keep cutthroat caverns! Silly fun from time to time.
Never actually played that one somehow.
I so agree on 7 Wonders...I love it, but my family probably played it literally hundreds of times. We'd get on a 5s pick-and-play system, so we'd zip through multiple games each night, and we'd do that all winter long :) And now, we have games like Sushi Go, Ecosystem, etc that are a similar mechanic, look cool, and play in even less time and have much less setup time.
And boy I'm tempted to get the sharp-looking new 7 Wonders, but I know my family and I probably won't play it. We haven't touched our original 7 Wonders in too long now, haha
Kingdom Builder is currently on my "teetering" list. Another that I got early on and genuinely enjoy playing but it simply doesn't get enough table time to justify the shelf space.
Like yourself, I have everything for it and even took the time to craft a custom insert to better organise, simplify getting the massive amount of variability to the table... and yet... its just not hitting the spot; which i find sad.
Downforce - there for theme only
Marvel United - by far the worst
Fireball island - it’s a toy set
Mice and mystics - so many mid game rules, such a a cute story
Game of thrones Catan - if you have to play Catan
Aftermath - I like mice okay?
Tiny epic mechs - it takes no space and now I have a ton of promos
Crypt - Covid donation game
Chrhulu wars - big meh, but it’s the version I have
One night ultimate vampire - did I need this version?
Raiders of the North Sea. Keeping it mainly because it was a gift, but man that game is so anticlimactic. 4 turns preparing, and then the big pay off?!?!?! I'm raiding!!!! Fart, the next players turn. That was the raid, let's do 4 turns preparing.
Dominion... boring. 1 strat. get silver and gold asap and try to get the expensive provinces. no alternative strategies. Why am I keeping it? It was a gift. ;)
Only own a few of these, but I love the premise of the list! There are so many reasons to keep games, and there really are games on my shelf I’m unsure if I can cull!
Kingdom Builder is one I have always enjoyed, and I think we have owned it, but I’m unsure if we still own it 😂
Didn’t really like Downforce! The Game is another I enjoy! Looking forward to play it soon again!
Hey Alex, thanks for the great content! I was wondering if a top 10 list of games with traitor mechanic is something that you would enjoy to do. For sure I would enjoy to watch it.
Oh, good idea, I'll start a list :)
na coup absolutely wipes the floor with SoN.
Son?
@@BoardGameCo sheriff of Nottingham
Mine would probably be Mysterium. I really enjoy it but our group was pretty meh on it after our first play.
So now I'll just hold onto it. One day people will enjoy playing it with me! One day.
Have you checked out Mysterium Park? For us it’s Mysterium just better, shorter and more streamlined!
@@BoardGamingRamblings I have not. I'll look into it
I see the appeal of auction in Ra being press your luck meeting auction. As a filler+ game, because of what it does, I believe TEN can be an alternative to Ra in terms of being an auction game with other fun elements.
Sushi Go is also Ra with hand drafting. I see Modern Art as a more pure drafting experience.
Based in what you said in the video, there are reasons why I am hesitant to pick up Ra again.
Controversial opinion: If I've got 4 players for an area control game, I'll pick Rising Sun over Blood Rage. Sure, Blood Rage is shorter, but the rage mechanic feels a lot like a"win more" mechanic where if you get a lead in rage early, then you're in a better position to win more fights in later rounds, and hence get more rage and other clan stats and hence win the game. You can get to the end of the second age and often go "yeah, the game is already over" or "player x is coming last".
In Rising Sun, unless someone gets an enormous lead, the person in last place before the final War Phase can end up coming away with the win (and has done so a number of times in my group).
Agree completely on Terra Nova.
It's so much fun :)
Did you check out Mage Knight Ultimate edition? I find with that insert it to be maybe fastest solo game I own to field at put away (others include Xia, Eldritch Horror, Root, Vast: Mysterious Manor, Cry Havoc, sold Scythe).
I have mine already all in an insert.
Would love to hear what you feel is better than Rising Sun in their respective field? Kemet?
Games I keep despite they are not a good fit for me are Kingdom Builder as well and Hanabi (both because my gf tends to enjoy them)
1. Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar- I've got a couple of boys who really like the spectacle of this game (who am I kidding, I do to). But thats it, its a spectacle game; it looks cool and does something cool but the game really isn't there and there is a lot of pre/mid/post game maintenance involved. It's work to get out and set up. I'm not having the fun I should with it so I'll probably part with it this year. 2. 7 Wonders Duel (here me out)- the app has killed it for me. In fact there a few games I have gotten rid of purely b/c the app killed it. I don't have the patience for the board game when the app is good in the right ways. 3. TIME Stories: I am literally waiting to play through 2 more scenarios and then its gone.
Downforce is a family favorite. It was hard to hear you to say that maybe it shouldn't have been remade. Ouch. But to each his own. I do think it plays best at the higher player counts. The extra tracks with the expansions definitely help give it more life.
My best worst game would be Xia: Legends of a Drift System. The system is something designed out of a teenager’s basement in the 80s. But I love it so much for its truly sandbox play and emergent world building and story telling.
Xia is great :) got rid of it over time but loved it :)
@@BoardGameCo: Did you play it with the Embers expansion? It is IMO the best board game expansion ever made :)
I also haven’t taken Coup off the shelf in a couple years, because I feel requires a higher play count for optimized enjoyment.
I still own Horrified and love the theme. Agree with what you say though.
Kingdom Builder base I picked up on Amazon for like $20 and played once. I thought it was alright but didn’t have too much going on in it.
Love 7 Wonders, do you have/have you tried any of the expansions? I find those definitely make the game even better. I really enjoy Armada and Leaders, however Armada makes this table hog even worse- haha. Hope all is well, thanks for your great work especially your showcase of your careful analysis last week with the Dice Tower's Top 100.
Absolutely agree with you about Downforce and Horrified. I only have them for my kids, and even they are getting wise to the problems in the game. My oldest, 11, won’t play Downforce for the very reason you mentioned. To me this is the case of production quality exceeding game quality, it only goes so far.
Hear you for Downforce. You just have so little chance to win if you're not on Pole. Usually it's clear who is going to win and everyone is motivated to get that person to the finish first because they've bet on them. Just very limited long-term fun factor. Don't so much agree for Kingdom Builder though, it's one I'd like to play more than I get to. In my case there's just so many new games to be tried out that I'm never able to get back to it.
Love this video - cool way to look at games! How many games are in your collection? I'm curious what % of your games this represents.
You've probably heard this a million times, but...
I love your meeple cushions!
Same here :)
I am also on the fence about Marvel United, but I hold on to it because I think it's a good gateway game for some of my family who don't like playing mid-level or higher board games. Currently, I'm on the fence about Die in the Dungeon and Sanctum because they're very easy up until the boss. I like varying level of challenge throughout the game.
What other games would you say are similar to Rising Sun. I enjoy that game with minimum 4 people.
Any area control will have general similarities. Blood Rage, Cthulhu Wars, Chaos in the Old World, Rurik etc
Will Massive Darkness 2 add real-gameplay variability with cool elements like pushing enemies into other spaces or blowing up a bunch of minions? With all my research I haven't seen anything besides some variation in the heroes before they all end up doing the same thing of rolling dice (and modifying those dice) I'm happy to be wrong, just haven't seen it.
Oh I already liked the core system..I'll welcome any changes they make.
Wow, I was certain that your second CMON game on this list was going to be Zombicide: Invader. I think you've said you have all of Zombicide and might get rid of some part of them, especially because Zombicide 2 is coming. I like Black Plague/Green Horde better than Invader, and I feel like I hear that sentiment echoed a lot. I don't see many people favoring Invader over BP/GH. So...I thought it would be Invader.
Ooh my goodness, when you pulled out JotL, I audibly gasped! Glad it turned out to be an accidental pull!
Lol, I can be a troll at times :)
Interesting list! I actually use The Game to play The Mind for the more colorful artwork.
Intriguing topic! For sure a crowd puller... But very well build statements that back your possible decisions. But i'll be honest, I wouldn't sleep less if you'd ditch them ;-)
I love your meeple pillows:) Where did you get them?
Amazon and etsy :)
give downforce a makeover and turn it into mariokart ;)
Lol wouldn't work for me...never played MK growing up :)
Coup continues to be a great entry game, but G54 ramps it up to expert-level. One of my few 9/10s. Every random set-up brings the players back to the same feel we had when we first played the original. When to bluff? Which powers work best early-, mid-, and late-game? Really great, but you MUST have 5 or more good Coup players to enjoy it.
I often wonder about this topic. Which games get exponentially better with a regular, consistent group of dedicated players? I can say that is also the case with hanabi. The first few times I played it, it was a 6. Then I got sick and started playing it online with obsessive fans of the game and learning it's depth brought it up to one of the very few perfect 10s I've ever played.
How many other near perfect games am I missing out on because I just haven't played them hard enough?
Huh, this is a tough one. I have a bunch of games that fall into your categories at the beginning.
For my actual picks, I think maybe Sheriff of Nottingham, for kind of the exact opposite that you said Coup. Or... not the opposite, but the exact same reason, except I feel like Coup is the reason I'm giving Sheriff the side eye. I have enjoyed both games the many times I've played them, but for this type of thing, I feel like Coup offers the right amount of time commitment (in a delightfully small box). And it feels just a little deeper to me. That being said, it's been a while since I've played either. (But some of that has to do with the year this has been). I feel a little more comfortable introducing Sheriff to new gamers, which is why I have kept it around, but I feel like most people could handle Coup.
Otherwise, according to my rankings on BGG, my lowest rated games that have no threat of being purged are probably:
- One Night Ultimate Werewolf: This is a game that I'm bordering on having overplayed. But that's because there are situations where it's the PERFECT game. Those situations aren't my preferred style of game night, but when they happen, One Night is there to save the day. And while I'm never excited to bust it out, I've never actually had a bad time with it. I may slowly start to get rid of games of this style just because I don't feel the need to have a bunch of them, but this will be the lone survivor (pending something amazing showing up to take its place).
- DC Comics: The Deckbuilding Game: This is the other one that immediately comes to mind. This game is paper thin and I don't have any expansions for it, nor do I have any intentions of getting any. And I'm not even that much of a DC fan. But there's something comfort-food-y about this super simple deck builder with these super iconic characters (all the big mainstream heavy hitters are in the core box). Every once in a while, I think "at some point, I'll probably just stop pulling this game out" but that has yet to happen. And I'm always pretty happy when I do. 2 second teach. 30 minute game. It has the typical deck builder game arch. And it's good in it's lane.
I love horrified. Its easy to teach to new players. It fast and fun co OP game. I wouldnt pull it out for people who want to play a complex game. But if you want something light, that's the game to play.
I dont like gloomhaven but it's in my collection because it's number one on board game geek. I wish I can get rid of it but I won't. It takes forever to set up. The ai rules are impossible to get right. The enemies are always way to tough. And flipping a card to see how much damage to an enemy that will block or heal next round isnt fun to me.
I also have Arkham horror 2nd edition. I just need to get rid of it. Eldritch horror is better and I'm in love with Arkham horror 3rd edition. I don't care what people say about 3rd edition. It feels like a great blend of 2nd edition and the LCG
I'm not sure how you fit all of Kingdom build in one box. I have one box that's just the boards and one that's everything else.
I have a small bag of the reminder tiles off to the side :)
I love son/daughter but you are just not good enough. "What did I do wrong papa?" Nothing, it just this something that I can't really be sure I like or don't like. "OK. papa I will go and cry in my room and develop a life long insecurity"
So foncused?
@@BoardGameCo Yup. "I love the game it has these great mechanisms and I play it a lot but it has to go."
I own and love about half of these haha. But there are definitely flaws in them for sure. The game, Horrified, downforce, and kingdom builder are all faves. Coup I have but haven't played in years it's been almost culled a few times. I have Marvel United and thought it was fine but it's on the cull pile ( I didn't back it). Id never play it over Marvel Champions and my daughter is too young for me to keep it for her sake
Downforce + house rules (i.e., no betting) is great to play with kids. The components work wonderfully. After playing several times, the tracks have tire marks on them 😁. That being said, I do not recommend the expansions.
Azul summer pavillion because my wife likes it :p But my collection is still under 50 games and I have 5 things ready to be sold.
Man I have been trying to get my hands on Ra I love that one
It's really good....I just don't pull it out.
@@BoardGameCo That’s what she said.
RA is a really good game at 4 but these days we play RA, The Dice Game. Everything simplified, gorgeous dice, and plays beautifully with 2...♥️
I agree with just about everything on here except The Game. With the right group, this is hilarious and fun. It's a great filters game that I would gladly replace is I lost it. Plus, its a small box and really cheap.
Mine (Top being least likely to play):
Star Wars Rebellion
Wingspan
Papillion
Martians!!
Tiny Epic Dinosaurs
Tiny Epic Tactics
Isle of Cats
Dwellings of Eldervale
Hi Alex. Tom gave a review on zombie teenz, and i am wondering if i would find myself in the same spot. This weejend we played again to zombie kidz. But if teenz is a little bit of the same, and having my kids a little outgrown the first game (even though we do play it from time to time), shouldn't i get something like charterstone or other legacy games a little more evolved... What do you think?
I would have thought you’d put Steam on this list. I have yet to hear your thoughts on that game.
I don't own any of these games. I keep thinking I should get Horrified, but it hasn't happened yet so it probably won't...
It's good...not essential.
I keep Tainted Grail. Tried to play it once with my wife - but we were disappointed It was too boring
Lol. I actually almost believed the Troll. Very nice.
;)
Suprised to see not 2 but three cmon games in that list. Though I know you'll keep marvel. I have been trying to get rising sun on the 2nd hand market for ages at a decent price. Out of interest what game of its genre did you prefer to it ?
Nice! I am interested as well with rising sun, but I don't think I have time to play all the board games I already own. I stopped searching for it since it's expensive and I know I would probably play it couple of times only.
Definitely Catan, I used to play it A LOT (like all of you I guess) but now for me is super boring, I just keep it because is the only game I can actually play with my whole family
I've ranted about my own frustrations with Massive Darkness before, and I would for sure be the worst game I own if I didn't just consider it expansion content for MD2 when it arrives, lol.
Generally I don't keep any games I would rate below a 7 in terms of my own enjoyment unless they fulfill a specific role in my collection of those games the lowest two are Small World and King of New York. I have Small World ar about a 6.5 and to me it is a more enjoyable, but still accessible Risk that a like to play with my family members who enjoy games like that (as I don't much care for vanilla Risk). King of New York is another game I save for family members as a light, time-killin, dice chucker and as an easy-to-follow entry game for whenever my gaming group brings someone unfamiliar with tabletop gaming. Generally though these games don't come out very often, particularly thanks to, the Covid era, though sometimes my core group does enjoy a couple games of Small World once in a while.
I currently have these games at a 6.5 and 6 (maybe it should be a 5.5 though) on BGG respectively, so not so bad in terms of my personal enjoyment, but definitely the lowest of my modest collection of around 30 games.
I would have kept gloomhaven in there…too many parts, takes up too much space and too repetitive
It's good!
I think there are many, many, MANY Mage Knights sitting on a shelf. Mine has been for at least a year. Can't decide to sell it though, since it's a rarity in third world countries like mine. Oh well... at least it looks nice!
For me it's andromeda and Havana, the wife likes them a lot.
Nice :)
went all in for Massive Darkness, played it once and sold it right away - this was back when we were playing Descent 2nd ed and this was no fun for us. Enough so that I didn't back the new MD ks.
Opposite for me. I sold Descent 2nd Edition and kept Massive Darkness.
Lol I have kings forge as well and keep going back and fourth on getting rid of but never seem to do it.
How many games do you own, Alex?
Nice to see Kingdom Builder in thumbnail. The worst modern game of all time.
But I still own it :)
I love Coup. It is in my top 10. But I have no interest in the expansions or promos, which makes the game worse to me. Glad to see it is still making the cut.
Hey hey hey, your chapter's name is not good for Massive Darkness :)
Did you plan to talk about B-Sieged and change your mind at the last minute?
Hmmm...not sure what happened there, I'll fix that thanks :)
Interesting positive spin on a click-baiting rage-assuming video title ! :)
Among mines,
- Saint Seiya Deckbuilding and Thunderstone I keep, the latter because it's the grandfather of deckbuilding games (Dominion being the grandma) and also a present, the former because the cards look so nice (for fans of the manga) and are top quality, although the game is too simple but takes ages to finish.
- Myrmes, a very dated look from the plastic ants to the boards or cubes, nothing fascinating and tedious to teach, yet it's quite original. Maybe one day I will have the will to put it on the table and try again.
a few remarks:
...Downforce or the game where the one dude blocking you all in the first turn after start you will hate all game long and still you will bet on every time just to score points... Obviously he'll win, too. Fool me once, fool me twice, play without me the third time ! XD
Marvel United's main plus is how cheap it is given the material, it's also totally playable with kids as an intro to coop boss fighting games. But only 3 bosses then a bit repetitive ; let's see if the Gauntlet or the Sinister Six make it spicier.
Get The Game Quick & Easy, which is just barely better than The Game, and then you'll really struggle to justify keeping the original.
I'm keeping D&D Tomb of Annihilation board game and Munchkin Pathfinder.
You ever try Sword and Sorcery?
Getting rid of mage knight?!?!?? SACRILEGE !!!!! :)
Downforce rules don't work. There are house rules which try to fix it.
Ra 😮
Lol yep 😃
Which game did better than rising sun ?
Kingdom Builder is a great game.
Lol when İ see Jaws of the lions i though "alex's bomb"... Anyway played marvel united and surprising that is still in your collection, i really like the first match but after the third one I see no potential on long periods and a bit too easy or maybe i was just lucky
Most of these games are 2-2.5 in weight, I own none of them, and I wouldn't even consider them for our collection. :) We are well past gateway level games, and it would be very hard to justify a lighter game now. Despise mediocrity.